Quest Deep Periphery Quest (Battletech Sandbox Empire Builder)

[Thors_Alumni]

[X] We made a commitment, follow through on it
[X] Tell the brothers they are both co-owners of the patent, with each of them sharing 50% of the fees for any licensing that may occur, single person release authority so that it does not require their mutual cooperation to expand production. Whatever their own company makes, is their money, they don't have to share it with each other.
[X] Lee Aerospace proposal
- [X] Pyramid proposal

 

[Jarow]

First:

We should improve Griffin's Roost's ground defenses.

Griffin's Roost is at "2," meaning it already has advanced ground defenses (If you're looking at planet asset tracker in the sheet, ground and space defense ratings mean very different things). Only way we can improve it is with Castle Brian(s), something that hasn't been researched yet, and is probably will be out of budget to research for a while.

I think that was retconned so Griffin is actually closer to the combine/suns border

It was indeed retconned, though our current position is a lot closer to the Capellan/Suns border than anything else. Originally we were closer to Capellan/League border, and a lot closer in.

Now, my thoughts on the three choices:
1. Definitely either of the latter two. Second does bring more benefits, but 3 DoME teams (even if for one turn, which is really soon for DoME) are really useful too, and Griffon IV isn't that useful yet.

2. No idea what to suggest to solve it. There are three easy options: choose home system person, choose Nowa Wazsawa person, force them to share it (which they refused to do already). Perhaps someone can come up with something better.

3. I was so happy at finally getting a chance to win this one, and then ShadowArxxy realized my design was better armed and came up with a new one. Guess Pyramids will once again not win a dropship design vote. Probably going to go with Majeure Electric one, though I guess HPGs could be useful for a dropship on a newly taken planet (or planet we haven't fully won yet) for communications until we can build a full size one. Though, I guess being able to bring along an extra dropship is pretty useful with my design.

For the first vote, just taking a bit more time to think on it, and trying to see others' thoughts. Second vote I'm looking to see what other people think up for a solution. Third vote I'm probably staying out, I try to limit myself when it comes to voting on designs including my own, unless I feel pretty strongly or feel like joining a bandwagon.

EDIT:
Putting more specific thoughts into the three designs:
Pyramid: Softest design, lacks artillery, frees logistics collar for a combat dropship escort
Electrique: Best design for combat
Lee: Middle design for combat ability, ground combat command vessel, future HPG support

In effect, pyramid design is probably the best for quickly moving forces internally, majeure electique's design is the one you want if it ends up in combat, and Lee's design is best for managing an occupation.

 

[Rukatin]

[X] Go big or go home
[X] Lee Aerospace Proposal
- [X] Pyramid proposal

I don't know what to think on the patent thing, any chance we can take it for ourselves from the 'unruly children' without us coming across tyrant-y?

 

[Val the Moofia Boss]

The Empress does not cheap out on entertainment.

[X] Go big or go home

For the fungicide... IDK. I'd suggest that two companies merge, but going into business with your friends/family is a recipe for acrimony. In that case one of them should probably concede to the other.

 

[Thors_Alumni]

In that case one of them should probably concede to the other.

problem is that the twin brothers hate each other and would absolutely refuse to be the one to concede.

 

[ShadowArxxy]

3. I was so happy at finally getting a chance to win this one, and then ShadowArxxy realized my design was better armed and came up with a new one. Guess Pyramids will once again not win a dropship design vote. Probably going to go with Majeure Electric one, though I guess HPGs could be useful for a dropship on a newly taken planet (or planet we haven't fully won yet) for communications until we can build a full size one. Though, I guess being able to bring along an extra dropship is pretty useful with my design.

Awwww, I'm sorry. It's just that the Chief Designer for Majeure Electrique just can't bear to let anyone make bigger, more expensive, more heavily everything-ed ships than him.

(He is the sort of person who would see the Death Star and design Dahak in escalation.)

 

[Knowledgeispower]

[X] Go big or go home
the extra pop cap is rather needed since pretty soon Griffin's Roost will be having a lot of emigration due to hitting its pop cap unless we do some expensive projects
- [X] However, the Crown will make it clear to the developers that We are Displeased at having to step in due to their poor planning, they are *only* getting bailed out because the Olympics are a matter of national pride and prestige, and that if this ever happens again, there will be severe and *public* consequences.

[X]Majeure Electrique proposal
- [X] When have we ever gone wrong with the biggest, toughest, and most capable option, especially for something that's inherently an extreme high value target?

 

[VicSage]

[X] Tell the brothers they are both co-owners of the patent, with each of them sharing 50% of the fees for any licensing that may occur, single person release authority so that it does not require their mutual cooperation to expand production. Whatever their own company makes, is their money, they don't have to share it with each other.

Bring me a sword! Split that baby right down the middle! More importantly, they're already hyper competitive. So remove their chances to withhold this entirely. Either of them can license the fungicide to anyone else, they just have to split the licensing fees. They don't want to cooperate? Fine, they can run their own businesses mutually. If there's no wrongdoing on either part, and both were filed simultaneously, then clearly they both have it.

Though also clearly, whoever the brother is that changed planets is the smarter one. He managed to invent the same thing with less lab time to work on it.

 

[ShadowArxxy]

[X] Go big or go home


[X]Majeure Electrique proposal
- [X] When have we ever gone wrong with the biggest, toughest, and most capable option, especially for something that's inherently an extreme high value target?

---


There are historical precedents that when an invention is independently arrived at simultaneously or in rapid succession by multiple inventors, this is substantial (although not by itself definitive) evidence that the invention is in fact obvious and cannot be patented at all. Needless to say, the personality of both brothers is such that they are likely to be incredibly enraged at any official suggestion to this effect, since both of them are archetypal genius assholes and the idea that their great discovery doesn't demonstrate their intellectual supremacy over each other and everyone else. . . they really don't like that.

Ah! But here their own vindictiveness really screws them over, because each brother has *most certainly* spent excessive amounts of money hiring the best possible experts to argue that the rival brother is too dimwitted to have actually discovered the chemical on his own and must have acquired the formula via industrial espionage. Since the best efforts of two rival sets of private investigators *and* Special Branch have comprehensively disproven industrial espionage, those two piles of character-assassination could be taken at face value to prove that neither brother is of exceptional talent and that the formula is, consequently, obvious and unpatentable.

And since both brothers hate each other so much, it is actually very possible that both of them would rather let the government take the formula as an "obvious discovery" than agree that it's non-obvious and also admit that the other was intelligent enough to possibly discover it. After all, this way they can go for round infinity-plus-two of their lifelong pissing match by competing for production, marketing, and sales of the generic drug, all while each fuming that it's rightfully theirs alone.

[X] Declare the patent an "obvious discovery" and therefore not eligible for patent; both companies may produce the fungicide as a generic product.

 

[VicSage]

We could hold a parade in their honor, forcing them to be civil in front of a crowd and receive their accolades, or else have the entirety of public opinion turn against them where everyone scorns their alleged intellect. This is only a half serious suggestion, mostly because it would be amusing to me. For all we know it might be they're perfectly genial people at every other time, it's just each other they hate so damn much.

They don't have to like each other. But they have the choice of both get the patent or public domain. There is no solution other than those two, because they did the same thing at the same time, and we can't treat either one differently because of it. doing so would leave room for them to file suit for ownership the patent and tie up the courts for years.

 

[Rukatin]

[X] Tell the brothers they are both co-owners of the patent, with each of them sharing 50% of the fees for any licensing that may occur, single person release authority so that it does not require their mutual cooperation to expand production. Whatever their own company makes, is their money, they don't have to share it with each other.

 

[Ziggydoo]

[X] We made a commitment, follow through on it
[X] Tell the brothers they are both co-owners of the patent, with each of them sharing 50% of the fees for any licensing that may occur, single person release authority so that it does not require their mutual cooperation to expand production. Whatever their own company makes, is their money, they don't have to share it with each other.
[X] Lee Aerospace proposal
- [X] Pyramid proposal

 

[Val the Moofia Boss]

[X] Tell the brothers they are both co-owners of the patent, with each of them sharing 50% of the fees for any licensing that may occur, single person release authority so that it does not require their mutual cooperation to expand production. Whatever their own company makes, is their money, they don't have to share it with each other.

 

[Nikandros]

[X] Go big or go home

[X] Declare the patent an "obvious discovery" and therefore not eligible for patent; both companies may produce the fungicide as a generic product.

[X] Lee Aerospace Proposal
- [X] Pyramid proposal

 

[kashim3]

[X] Go big or go home

[X] Declare the patent an "obvious discovery" and therefore not eligible for patent; both companies may produce the fungicide as a generic product.

[X] Lee Aerospace Proposal
- [X] Pyramid proposal

 

[kelgar04]

[X] We made a commitment, follow through on it
[X] Tell the brothers they are both co-owners of the patent, with each of them sharing 50% of the fees for any licensing that may occur, single person release authority so that it does not require their mutual cooperation to expand production. Whatever their own company makes, is their money, they don't have to share it with each other.
[X] Lee Aerospace proposal
- [X] Pyramid proposal

 

[Havalt300]

It just struck me that apart from the clans and ComStar, we're the only ones who can make Endosteel.

 

[Knowledgeispower]

It just struck me that apart from the clans and ComStar, we're the only ones who can make Endosteel.

And Double heatsinks, ferro type armor, XL engines, Gauss Rifles,, and ER weapons. Not to mention TAG, Arrow IV, Artemis IV, AMS, Active Probe, and ECM. And capital scale naval weapons. And we're the only ones with subcaptial weapons and AP Gauss.

 

[Val the Moofia Boss]

We haven't made contact with the IS or the Clans yet so we don't know what they're carrying around in the modern day. Apparently FASAnomics have been retconned away to make the setting more believable (as well as to provide an actual challenge, hopefully. With our current numbers and tech we'd pretty easily roll over the canon IS). That isn't to say that the IS might be magically bigger and better than us, I just wouldn't bet on us having all of the advantages we think we have just because canon IS didn't have them.

Or I suppose they could theoretically be the same as in canon, just with scaled up numbers. Clan society never made a lick of sense and would require a complete overhaul to make it stable enough to last hundreds of years and have magically better tech than everyone else.

 

[Jarow]

And Double heatsinks, ferro type armor, XL engines, Gauss Rifles,, and ER weapons. Not to mention TAG, Arrow IV, Artemis IV, AMS, Active Probe, and ECM. And capital scale naval weapons. And we're the only ones with subcaptial weapons and AP Gauss.

While many of those are accurate, pretty sure there are a few other local factions who can build at least some of those (AP and regular Gauss, AMS, and one type of subcapital cannon in the NRI, capital weapons and likely large portions of the list in "Amaris Remnant"). But IS almost certainly can't right now, outside of Comstar, and we can build better versions of some of it than they can.

We haven't made contact with the IS or the Clans yet so we don't know what they're carrying around in the modern day.

What we do have is a view of IS technological ability in our local drac population - factories and shipyards are apparently more limited by sabotage than true irreplaceability, but pretty much introtech for weapons with excellent salvage ability, and better reverse engineering than you'd expect from not being able to replicate the star league stuff (pretty sure they figured out how to build subcapital cannons by the end, instead of salvaging them all from us. Though, they admittedly never replicated real AMS, and just used machine guns instead).
For clans, I'm going to work with the assumption tech levels are about the same as in canon. Where most of their tech came out near the beginning anyways.
On the societal end, what information we have suggests the IS works a lot like it does in canon, though it's entirely possible there are some smaller changes to go with military and shipping scales changing. Clans? Could be canon, could be something like in BruceQuest (where they've gradually degenerated to what they're like in canon, only reaching where it is in canon around where we are now in this quest), or could be entirely different. In theory, we probably do have a view of early clan society from any information we can pull from our Wolverine immigrants, but I don't remember seeing any specific details in the quest.